Guess where it's to?
And guess who is meeting up with him after the businessy part so we can play for a week in Germany?
Me! (obviously.) I leave next Thursday.
I have never been anywhere outside the US and this is the first time Seth is flying internationally since his mission to Brazil in 2004.
So I am looking to my well-traveled readers (I'm thinking of you Laura). Advice? What do I bring on the plane? Tips for being in a foreign country? I am very very nervous.
Also, this is the first time we are leaving T alone with someone overnight. For a whole week. She'll be with family, but still. I am nervous for her too. Mothers, advice?
And now back to packing/over-planning/over-stressing about this trip.
Oh my gosh that is so exciting! (I'm talking about the fact that you think I'm well-traveled. Just kidding. It's exciting that you're going to Germany!)
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I've never been to Germany (that's a lie: I've been to the Frankfurt airport and I've walked underground from Austria to Germany and back to Austria in an Austrian salt mine), but I have tons of European travel advice. And now I am going to give you a TON of advice that is mostly intuitive.
1. Spend some time on wikitravel reading up about your destination (so whichever city you are going to be in/near). It helps to know what the main things are to see/do/eat, so you can try the famous schnitzel if that's important to you or whatever. Also, by reading about it in advance, when you get there things will make more sense.
2. Please for the love of everything in this world buy a map either right when you get there or before you leave. Some of us (ME) never buy maps and it is a disaster. I spend a lot of time trying to reorient myself. I lived in Scotland for 4 months and never bought a map ever, and spent lots of hours lost. Then take the time to LOOK at the map, just to get an idea of how everything works. If it's a touristy map, maybe circle the things on it that you want to see (or if it doesn't have big church icons on it, then make a little mark). This will keep you from walking past something you were dying to see because it was two blocks away and you didn't realize it (yes, I've done that), and then you have to go back and it takes all your time.
3. Bring headphones and stuff to read on the plane. Really a flight from the east coast to Europe is totally doable, and kind of enjoyable. I think that my flight from New York to France took about 6 hours - and a flight from Richmond to Salt Lake takes 4. So yes, it's a little longer, but maybe you'll get lucky and be on a flight that has movies right on a screen in front of you, instead of in the middle of the aisle. And if you're flying overnight, come prepared with earplugs and something to stick your head on so it doesn't bob up and down all night (mine does that because I'm too cheap to buy a neck thing).
4. Once you are there, be flexible. Have some ideas of what you want to see (I like old churches and I hate museums, and will only go to museums if it's SUPER FAMOUS or quirky. I'm not going to the History of Prague museum just because it's there), and then while you are seeing those things be open to other things too. If you are on too tight of a schedule (trying to see 10 things before noon) then you will feel stressed the whole time.
5. If you're getting on a bus, ask the bus driver where the stop is you're looking for, and sit near the front. I have assumed I would know, and then ended up riding the bus all the way around back to the beginning because we missed the stop.
6. Again, it is very unlikely that, unless you are a complete moron, that you are going to end up robbed or beaten in the streets. So relax and have fun discovering a new place. If you make a wrong turn and get lost in the middle of a field, then walk to the nearest bar and ask how to get back. If they don't know, then turn around and go back to where you came from, because odds are your real turn was just behind a small building that you didn't notice the first time.
bahhh I had too much to say. So here is part 2:
ReplyDelete7. Eat gelato every day. I don't even think this needs an explanation.
8. Don't over pack (you don't need 8 pairs of shoes), but for heaven's sake don't underpack. Since you are all adulty and stuff now, I assume that you guys will be staying in a hotel, and possibly in the same town. Bring whatever you need if you aren't going to have to lug your bag around that much. Do you want to look cute in your pictures? If yes, think about the cuteness factor when you are packing (I, on the other hand, never think about that and end up with thousands of pictures of me wearing jeans that are too big). I know you're only going to be gone for a week, but remember that if your favorite pair of jeans gets super stretched out after wearing them for one day and you plan to wear them three times, that two of those days will have them falling off your butt. So...bring clothes that fit. Bring your laptop unless it makes you nervous to leave it in a hotel room (I left mine in my bag in a barn behind some fertilizer pellets in Slovenia and no one stole it). But, if you guys are going to try and hit every town in Germany in a week and are planning on sleeping in hostels or whatever, then yeah, you need to be more judicious in your packing choices.
9. Not sure how you guys feel about biking, but I LOVE a good bike tour on day two or three of a city tour. You can either just rent a bike and ask for advice on where to ride it (most European cities have a river that cuts through them, and there will be a paved bike path next to it that you can just ride to wherever), or you can join a tour (check tripadvisor for recommendations). I went on one with two friends: one friend bikes all the time and is in great shape, I am terrible at biking, even though I'm in good shape, and my friend who is in terrible shape and never bikes but is more competent on a bike than I am. It was fun and enjoyable for all of us.
10. Money. Know your budget, and expect to spend more than you think. Food is expensive. Eating out every meal is expensive. But you can go to the grocery store and buy bread and make sadnwiches or whatever and that is kind of fun because you get to explore other types of food (European yogurt is SO MUCH BETTER than American yogurt). If you find a special type of cookie that you love, bring back like 10 packages of it so you will have plenty to eat at home and remember your trip. ATMs are a great way to get cash - but they charge a fee, so try and just go once or twice. Lots of places take cards, but some only take cards with a chip, and some don't take cards at all, so check before you buy something. If they DO take cards, they will look at you like you are crazy for asking. And if they don't, then they will look at you like you are crazy for asking. So just ask to avoid awkwardness of someone having to go get money from the ATM while the other person waits :)
Okay that's all for now. It really isn't anything to stress over - it'll be so much fun and you will love it!
So, Exciting! Where in Germany will you be? David is very familiar with East Germany (he went there on his mission). My mom is from Western Germany so that's where we always visited. And my personal favorite is South Germany -it's the most beautiful part in my opinion. If you have any questions of stuff to do I'm sure we could give you some suggestions. A lot of what you can do depends on how long you will be staying. The first thing I'd suggest when flying internationally is to buy several bottles of water after you get through security and bring an empty water bottle (you can't bring more than like 4oz of fluids through security so leave cosmetics in check in suitcase or they will confiscate it- happened to me once and it sucks not to have make up when you get to your destination.) Plane's dehydrate you a lot! I'm sure it would be a lot worse being pregnant, but seeing that you'll be flying from the east coast your flight time wont be as long as what I'm used to. Also, bring lots of snacks. I think plane food is terrible and never enough. I'd try to get an isle seat so you can get up and walk and use the bathroom whenever you want, which will help prevent blood clots (pregnant women are more at risk for them when flying.) When you're planning out your trip plan your first two days to be pretty low key so you can adjust to the time difference. We've done it both ways, but by far enjoyed the trip better when we allowed our systems time to adjust up front. Also, when planning activities and site seeing don't plan on getting to see several things in one day. Everything takes a lot longer because you don't know where you're going and there's a language barrier. Also, if you have the budget rent a car. Public transportation is so much better than in the US, but still we've found it restricting and so much more chaotic. I find having a car saves time, is less stressful and gives you more independence and freedom in where and when you go. Also, you don't have to walk forever to get anywhere, which might be nice with you being pregnant. If you do have a car get GPS - either a portable one or one on your phone. It is beyond a life saver! You will get to your destinations quick and without getting lost.
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law swears by bus tours, but I personally hate them. They give you a quick exposure to everything there is to see, but I'd rather get out on the streets and stop where and when I feel. Also, depending on the city it's really nice to just spend a day walking around and taking in the uniqueness of the place. German markets are amazing! The best ones are on the weekend and holidays, but they will have them through the week in the city centers, which is where people congregate. I wouldn't exchange a ton of money mostly because if you don't use it it's a pain to re-exchange back into dollars. Plus, if it's lost or stolen it's gone. You need cash for lots of things, but the big things you can use your card like hotels, car rentals, train passes, etc. Also, public bathrooms are not free. You have to pay so prepare to have some (or many) euro coins. Usually Germany is pretty clean and safe, but beware of beggars around touristy places. I always mix up the UK and mainland europe, but I think you might have to buy a plug adaptor for your electronics. And don't take your nice hair dryer. The volts are different and it will ruin it- done that one too! You can buy travel one's that will be safe. Or check if your hotel has one in the room- sometimes they don't. I guess the only thing I can say more is plan, plan, plan before getting there. If you don't have things worked out in advance it's easy to get overwhelmed. It's better to have more options than not enough. But, at the same time you don't have to be so set in your schedule that you don't have time to take in spur-of-the-moment detours.
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for you! You are absolutely going to love Germany! It's the best european country to visit!
Leaving T will be harder on you than her. You'll remember it longer. T may have a hard adjustment but she will adjust. Children and especially babies live in the moment. I had to leave Michelle with my mom when we went to Europe.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you mentioned Laura in this post but not your own sister...who has been to 5 European countries...Janette.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure, though, that Laura and Betina have covered it all, haha. But I am going to give my own quick tidbits too:
i suppose you have a passport. i hated the plane ride over. seriously, no matter what you bring, you will be bored. thankfully they provide free movies, tv and other crap you would never find on a non-international flight. they'll make you fill out a little card on the plane ride before you land. plan to spend some time standing in line in customs both before and after the plane ride...pack a light carry on, trust me. enjoy the duty free section of the airport. its cool.
the first thing you'll want, I'm positive, is a travel adapter for your electronics. it was the first thing I wanted after bedding. you can get them here in the us--anywhere, target, best buy, frys, etc.- before you even go and i recommend that rather than waiting and getting the more expensive german equivalent of the same thing when you land. do just get a travel size hair dryer in germany. mine shorted a few days after i arrived even with the adapter, which made it go infinitely slower and your time will be precious.
don't ever pay for a public restroom. I never did the entire time i was traveling, its possible. just stop in at a US fast food place (they will be everywhere) or go to anything else local and ask to use the restroom, same as they have here. go before you leave the hotel.
avoid the beggars. they won't leave you alone and you'll have to pay if they perform a service for you and they'll do it even if you say no. avoid touristy areas period. my favorite memories were the local food and marketplace shops because i felt like i belonged and thats a much better experience. do get lost. i never used maps and getting lost is fun. only plan for two activities a day, tops, you won't be able to do more and let yourself explore the rest of the time. keep each of the coins to bring home as a keepsake. I have a euro and pound coin collection I treasure.
oh. heres a big one: you CAN use your debit card anywhere--just tell them its a "swipe card" they get what that means. you can withdraw from atms, but there is a fee like was stated above, so withdraw a large amount (i only ever did up to 200 to be safe but i wouldn't even do that amount) to have coins on you and try to actually just use your card most of the time like you do here in the US.
take lots and lot of pictures!! bring more than one camera card just in case and have lots of batteries on hand.
Have FUN!!!!